Livias

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with
Julias (Gaulonitis)
.
The site of Tall el-Hammam

Livias was a city in

Classical Antiquity. In the writings of Josephus (English translation), the name is presented as Julias.[1]

Numerous authors have presented a chain of evidence connecting Beth-Haram from the Book of Joshua (Josh. 13:27), considered to be the same as Bethharan from Numbers (Num. 32:36),[2] with Talmudic Beit Ramata (Hebrew: בית רמתה)[3] and Roman-period Betharamtha (Βηθαραμθα)[dubious – discuss] or Betharamphtha.[4][5]

Location

The traditional location of the Roman city is at Tell er-Rameh, a small hill rising in the plain beyond Jordan, about twelve miles from Jericho.[6]

In 2011 Graves and Stripling proposed that, while Tell er-Rameh was the commercial and residential center of Livias, the area around Tell el-Hammam, which grew in the Early Roman period, was the administrative epicenter of the city. This suggestion is based on the evidence from Tell el-Hammam excavations: a large Roman bath complex (thermae, 35x50m), several hot springs, aqueduct, Roman coins, Roman glass, Roman pottery, and a Byzantine church mosaic nearby.[7]

Archaeological evidence from

Tell el-Hammam (2.6 km or 1.6 mi west of the latter), with a large mosaic floor, now being used as a Muslim cemetery.[9]

Josephus (AD 37–c. 100) and others describe Livias as a city (πόλις polis) of Perea,[10] and specifically differentiate it from a small town (πόλίχνη polichnē) or from its surrounding fourteen villages (κώμας kōmas).[11]

A directional reference is the fifth milestone north of Livias located at

Tall Nimrin (TMP 749034E, 3532378N). According to Eusebius' Onomasticon, Livias is five Roman miles (7.5 km/ 4.7 m) south of Tall Nimrin[dubious – discuss].[13]

These directional references, together with a statement provided by Theodosius that "the city of Livias is across the Jordan, twelve [Roman] miles [17.75 km/ 11 m] from Jericho" (Wilkinson)[14] to the east, provide east/west and north–south co-ordinates that when triangulated place Livias at Tall el-Hammam.[7]

History

The city of

Betharan is twice mentioned in the Bible (Numbers 32:36; Joshua 13:27
).

At about 80 BC, Hasmonean king

Agrippa. He died without heir, and his territories were annexed to Judaea province. In later reorganizations of Roman provinces, it was included in Syria Palaestina (135), Palaestina (286) and Palaestina Prima (425), never gaining a colonia
status.

In the time of Eusebius and St. Jerome the natives still called it Bethramtha.[19]

Bishopric

Livias was an

Le Quien[21]
mentions three bishops:

No longer a residential bishopric, Livias is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.[22]

References

  1. ^ Josephus (1895). Antiquities, 18.2.1. (18.26).
  2. ^ Bethharan, Smith's Bible Dictionary
  3. ^ Jerusalem Talmud, Shevi'it 9:2.
  4. ^ Josephus (1895). Antiquities 18.2.1. (18.26)
  5. ^ Josephus (1895). War 2.4.2. (2.57)
  6. JSTOR 3219054).
  7. Prag, Kay. "A Walk in the Wadi Hesban". Palestine Exploration Quarterly 123 (1991): 60–61.
  8. Donner, Herbert (1992). "The Mosaic Map of Madaba: An Introductory Guide". Palaestina Antiqua 7 (Kampen: Kok Pharos), p. 39.
  9. Dvorjetski, Estee. "Leisure, Pleasure, and Healing: Spa Culture and Medicine in Ancient Eastern Mediterranean". Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism 116 (Leiden: Brill, 2007), p. 202.
  10. Parker, S., R. Talbert, T. Elliott, S. Gillies (20 October 2012). "Places: 697697 (Livias)". Pleiades. Retrieved 22 August 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
)
  • ^ a b Graves & Stripling (2011)
  • ^ Piccirillo
  • ^ Graves (2011), p. 195
  • ^ Josephus A.J. 20.29; B.J. 2.168; 2.252; see also Theodosius Theodosius 19.1
  • ^ Josephus A.J. 20.29; B.J. 4.438
  • ^ cf. Numbers 32:36
  • ^ Eusebius Onomasticon 44; see also Jerome 45
  • ^ Theodosius Topografia 19
  • Perseus Project AJ14.1.4
    , .
  • Perseus Project BJ2.9.1
    , .
  • Perseus Project AJ20.8.4
    , .
  • Perseus Project BJ4.7.6
    , .
  • ^ a b Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Livias" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  • ^ Josephus (1895). War, 4.7.6 (4.437).
  • OCLC 955922748
    .
  • ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1
    ), p. 918

    • Bibliography

    External links